Dredge attachment.



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PATENTBD MAY 10, 1904. KE.

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E H S S T E E H S 2 FUN EBDGE ATTA ILB i gzt IH I INVENTOR Jfdlm an uzjbrelq WITNESSES.

By ATTORNEYS v PATBNTED MAY, 10, 1904.

, H. A. FUNKE. DREDGE ATTACHMENT.

APPLICATION FILED Nov. 20, 1903.

2 SHEETS-SHIIBT 2 N0 MODEL.

Y INVENTOFI I J/rmanfifiuie WITNESSES.-

ATTORN latented May 10, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

HERMAN AUG. FUNKE, ()F ELIZABETHTOWN, TERRITORY OF NEIV MEXICO.

DHEDGE ATTACHMENT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 759,690, dated May 10, 1904.

Application filed November 20, 1903. Serial No. 181,983. (No mode13 To all whom it nuty 0072.120772].-

Be it known that I, HERIMNAUG. FUNKE, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Elizabethtown, in the county of Colfax and Territory of New Mexico, have invented a new and Improved Dredge Attachment, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to a means for automatically clearing out the buckets of dredges. It is especially adapted to dredges in which the buckets are arranged on an endless chain, said buckets dumping as they turn over at the upper portion of the dredge. In this class of dredgers, especially when working in clay and stiff soils, the buckets fail to dump completely the mud accumulating therein and eventually completely filling them with a substance of such a consistency that it cannot be dislodged in the ordinary operation of thedredger. To overcome this objection, I provide a scraper device which is arranged to automatically enter ea ch bucket as it arrives at dumping position and throw out therefrom all of the accumulated material. This device may be driven either by gearing direct thereto or it may be driven by contact with the buckets. I prefer the latter arrangement, and this is described in the present specification.

Reference is to be had. to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is aside elevation of the invention, showing it in use on a bucket-dredge. Fig. 2 is an enlarged side view of the invention, parts being in section. Fig. 3 is a vertical section of the framing, and Fig. 4: is a detail perspective view of the scraper.

a indicates the conveyer-buckets,which are mounted on an endless chain and driven in the usual manner by sprockets attached to a shaft I), this shaft being driven by any suitable gearing .7). The shaft 6, as well as the gearing b, ismounted in the rigid framing c of the dredge. In a cage-like part c of the said rigid framing 0 is arranged a sliding frame (1!, adapted to be ad usted horizontally by means of a screw 0 or equivalent means.

Said sliding frame (Z has a shaft f loosely mounted therein and carrying arms of the scraper-blades f. The scrapers f are preferably four in number, arranged equidistant from each other and so inclined that as the dredger-buckets turn down into dumping position they move over one of the scraper-blades and impart to said blade a downward movement, this movement being imparted to the shaft f" and thence to the other scrapers, so as to cause the parts f, f, and f to move bodily. (See Fig. 1.) Then as the next bucket moves into dumping position the next following scraper will be in position to be engaged by the said next bucket, whereupon the operation described will be repeated. Each time that a bucket moves into engagement with one of the scrarxn-blades said blade is caused to scrape through the bucket and effectually clear out the accumulation therein. By adjusting the frame (8 the scrapers may be moved toward and from the conveyer, so that it may be accurately positioned with respect to the buckets, or, if desired, thismovement of the frame (i may be carried so far as to bring the scrapers wholly out of engagement with the buckets. In order to prevent the scraper rotating from momentum, and thus disturbing its proper relation to the successively-arriving buckets, a suitable brake or retarding mechanism should be employed. This maybe of any type desired. That illustrated in the drawings consists (see Fig. 2) of two spur -gears g, suitably mounted on the frame (Z and meshed with each other and with a pinion it on the shaft f. By this arrangement a certain frictionis continuouslyapplied to the shaft f to retard its revolution, and at the same time the frame (Z may be adjusted freely without interfering with the braking effect.

Various changes in the form, proportions, and minor details of my invention may be resorted to at will without departing from the spirit and scope thereof. Hence I consider myself entitled to all such variations as may lie within the intent of my claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim new and desire to secure by Letters Paten t 1. The combination with a series of buckets running with an endless chain, of a scraper comprising a plurality of scrapers proper connected to revolve in unison and juxtaposed to the buckets so that the said scrapers proper are successively engaged by the buckets, for the purpose specified, said scrapers being rotated by the contact of the buckets therewith.

2. The combination of a series of buckets, means for mounting and operating the same, and a scraper mounted in the path of the buckets and engaged thereby, for the purpose specified, said scraper being operated by the engagement of the buckets therewith.

3. The combination with a series of buckets running with an endless chain and successively arriving at dumping position, of a rotating scraper mounted in the path of the buckets and successively engaged thereby, for the purpose specified, and adjustable means for mounting the scraper, whereby to permit adjustment thereof toward and from the buckets.

L. The combination with a series of buckets running with an endless chain, of a scraper comprising a plurality of scrapers proper engageable to revolve in unison and juxtaposed to the buckets so that the said scrapers proper are successively engaged by the buckets, for

5. The combination with a series of buckets running with an endless chain and successively arriving at dumping position, of a rotating scraper mounted in the path of the buckets and successively engaged thereby, for the purpose specified, said scraper being rotated by the engagement of the buckets therewith, and a means for retarding the revolution of the scraper.

6. The combination with a series of buckets running with an endless chain and successively arriving at dumping position, of a rotating scraper mounted in the path of the buckets and successively engaged thereby, for the purpose specified, said scraper being rotated by the engagement of the buckets therewith, and a gear organism in connection with the scraper to retard the rotation thereof.

7 The combination with the main framing, of a number of dumping buckets arriving successively into dumping position, a scraper coacting with the buckets for the purpose specified, an auxiliary frame in which the scraper is mounted, and means for adjusting the auxiliary frame toward and from the buckets.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses. I

HERMAN AUG. FUN KE. Witnesses:

. F. Z. HUNT,

HERMAN J. REILING. 

